The Nuclear Sponsorship That Keeps on Giving

Former Greenpeace activist turned industry PR consultant, Patrick Moore, regularly appears as an opinion columnist or interviewee in news outlets around the world. Frequently these columns and stories don't disclose that the group Moore co-chairs, the Clean and Safe Energy Coalition (CSEC), is a front group for the Nuclear Energy Institute. In an opinion column for the Oregon-based Statesman-Journal, Moore writes that "now may be the right time for this state to consider putting nuclear energy back to work on behalf of clean air and economic growth. I understand Oregon's reservations. I once had them, too. But after four decades as an active environmentalist, studying the facts, my views have evolved — and I'm not alone." The biographical note at the end of Moore's column -- as has been noted before -- omits any indication that Moore is a consultant for the U.S. nuclear industry's lobby group. Instead, the note describes the CSEC as a "grassroots coalition which promotes the economic and environmental benefits of nuclear power as part of a green energy economy."